Sec. 13.502.  SUBMETERING.  (a)  An apartment house owner, manufactured home rental community owner, multiple use facility owner, or condominium manager may provide for submetering of each dwelling unit or rental unit for the measurement of the quantity of water, if any, consumed by the occupants of that unit.
(b)  Except as provided by Subsections (c) and (d), a manager of a condominium or the owner of an apartment house, manufactured home rental community, or multiple use facility, on which construction begins after January 1, 2003, shall provide for the measurement of the quantity of water, if any, consumed by the occupants of each unit through the installation of:
(1)  submeters, owned by the property owner or manager, for each dwelling unit or rental unit;  or
(2)  individual meters, owned by the retail public utility, for each dwelling unit or rental unit.
(c)  An owner of an apartment house on which construction begins after January 1, 2003, and which provides government assisted or subsidized rental housing to low or very low income residents shall install a plumbing system in the apartment house that is compatible with the installation of submeters for the measurement of the quantity of water, if any, consumed by the occupants of each unit.
(d)  On request by the property owner or manager, a retail public utility shall install individual meters owned by the utility in an apartment house, manufactured home rental community, multiple use facility, or condominium on which construction begins after January 1, 2003, unless the retail public utility determines that installation of meters is not feasible.  If the retail public utility determines that installation of meters is not feasible, the property owner or manager shall install a plumbing system that is compatible with the installation of submeters or individual meters.  A retail public utility may charge reasonable costs to install individual meters.
(e)  An owner of an apartment house, manufactured home rental community, or multiple use facility or a manager of a condominium may not change from submetered billing to allocated billing unless:
(1)  the utility commission approves of the change in writing after a demonstration of good cause, including meter reading or billing problems that could not feasibly be corrected or equipment failures; and
(2)  the property owner meets rental agreement requirements established by the utility commission.
Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 567, Sec. 43, eff. Sept. 1, 1989;  Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 86, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 30, 1999;  Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 873, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Amended by: 
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 170 (H.B. 1600), Sec. 2.80, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 171 (S.B. 567), Sec. 80, eff. September 1, 2013.